Time for rational rezoning is nowDepending where one stands, the rezoning of two half-blocks in the southwest Village at Greenwich and Leroy Sts. to allow residential use is either a smashing victory or a bitter pill to swallow.

TALKING POINTAdela and the woman who sold out her sister-in-lawBy JERRY TALLMER
Ever since The New York Times, in its infinite wisdom, dropped the lonely little line at the bottom of every day’s Page 1 that told you where the newest dead were, I’ve been missing a good many obituaries.

Bikers don’t walk a 1/2 mile in pedestrian’s shoes By Julie Shapiro
It was an unusual sight for the pedestrian walkway along West St.: A man in business clothes and a helmet with sweat pouring down his face ran alongside his bike. He gripped the handlebars as he ran, and every few steps he hopped a foot onto one pedal, coasting for several yards.

Builder gives a lot, but some neighbors still soreBy Lincoln Anderson
Though just a fraction of the size of the 111-block rezoning of the East Village and Lower East Side, approval of which is expected this November, the recent rezoning of two half-blocks in the southwest Village raised nearly as much concern and angst. In the end, though, it resulted in a pledge to create something not seen in the West Village in years: new affordable housing.

A C.B. 2 report opens ideas for public open spacesBy Albert Amateau
Community Board 2, which includes Greenwich Village, Soho, Noho, Little Italy and Hudson Square, has the second-lowest amount of open space of Manhattan’s 12 community board districts.

Board backs Hudson Sq. BIDThe proposed Hudson Square Business Improvement District cleared the first hurdle in the approval process late last month when Community Board 2 voted unanimously to give the BID the go-ahead.

Car-free Saturdays begin this weekendFor the next three Saturdays, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., the city will bar cars on a route stretching from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge, opening it to pedestrians, bikers and other non-motor vehicle activities.

Downtown comes out against crime Tuesday nightBy Sisi Wei
Residents and officers of the First Precinct ate cookies and drank tea together at Zuccotti Park on Liberty and Church Sts. for the National Night Out’s 25th anniversary event on Tues., Aug. 5. The First Precinct

State seizes six buses during inspections MondayIn an effort to enforce safety standards in New York’s growing industry of private intercity buses, state officials Monday stopped 26 buses, mostly in Chinatown, handing out 117 tickets and taking six off of the road completely.

2 workers killedAround 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday Aug. 5, two window washers died after a self-propelled cherry picker tipped over at the World Financial Center at the corner of West and Vesey Sts., according to police.

Authority looks for Pier A partition planBy Julie Shapiro
The historic walls that carve up Pier A’s second floor are the latest challenge the Battery Park City Authority faces in redeveloping the 122-year-old pier.

ARTS DOWNTOWN

Tribute to a star By Jennifer O’Reilly
“Welcome Home, Marian Anderson” is a story of a powerful woman who pushed against society’s prejudices, braved circumstances which put her reputation and life in danger, and blazed a path for African American women to work and thrive in a time when the very idea of equality was revolutionary.

Falling through the iceBy Steven Snyder
For writer and director Courtney Hunt, being awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival last January came as both a blessing and something of a short-lived curse.

Twenty years to ‘Life’By Will McKinley
“Did you find him to be annoying, arrogant and pompous?” a female audience member asked her male companion, following a recent performance of James Braly’s “Life in a Marital Institution” at the SoHo Playhouse.

A family comedy (well, sort of)By Scott Harrah
Many consider this ultra-dark tragicomedy by prolific avant-garde playwright Christopher Durang to be among his finest works, and for good reason.

Elevated cinema By Leonard Quart
Now in its third season, Movie Nights On The Elevated Acre takes place every Tuesday in August, starting at sundown between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.